The Moon can do Strange Things
by Hornswaggler
Summary: My first attempt at a one-shot romance. No canon characters, as I'd never do them justice. I do love my own kitties. :3 Enjoy!


**Okay, to make this short; I was bored, I wanted to try out something different, and I'm…well, impatient. =3 Soo, ya get a really short little one-shot with a theme that I've never really done. R&R will be LOVED.**

**Disclaimer: Do I wish I owned Warriors? TOTALLY. Do I? Ah, no.**

The night was still. Nothing hinted to the fact that the forest was in turmoil. Two bright green eyes shone in the half-moon, staring unblinkingly into the shadows of the surrounding forest. Guard duty was never a job the Clan cats enjoyed, but these days, it was one they took seriously. No one knew exactly why, but tensions were running as thick as blood through all four Clans, both figuratively and literally…border fights were nearly daily, and the medicine cats were busier than they had been in moons. Every Clan was expecting the others to attack at any moment, even if it were just for the sake of a fight. It was for this reason a second pair of eyes now approached the thick entrance to the RiverClan camp, a very light blue shining green each time they caught the moon's light. The original guard, a dark tom, glanced over at the she-cat approaching, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Breezetail," he greeted, his voice toneless. "You know Shortstar doesn't want anyone to go out alone."

"I realize that, mousebrain," Breezetail hissed, her calico fur fluffed out against the chill. "Like I want to be out here? Mudstreak set a double guard, says two noses are better than one…" With a sigh, she sat down opposite her Clanmate, not bothering to make eye contact. "Just my luck I'd get stuck with you, Kestrelstep…" The tom narrowed his eyes further, then pointedly turned away as well, tail twitching in agitation.

"I'm not exactly pleased myself," he growled. "I can handle the camp myself, it doesn't take another cat to smell something for me."

"Well then, you go ahead and tell that to Shortstar," Breezetail snorted, curling her tail around her paws. "Personally, I don't exactly want to get on his bad side these days, but you feel free." Kestrelstep blinked, not exactly pleased at the thought, then sighed, his ears laying back.

"It'll be a long night…"

"Tell me about it."

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Ears pricked, the two cats stared off into the shadows, both of them hunched against the cold. A harsh breeze swept its way through, causing Kestrelstep to wince, his ears flattening against his head. Glancing over at his 'companion', the tom noted that she wasn't exactly better off. The calico cat shivered, her tail curled around her front paws.

"A bit cold, huh?" Kestrelstep said with a shiver, more of a statement than a question. Breezetail glanced over at him, her blue eyes narrowed against the wind.

"Are you making conversation?" she teased, smirking. "Is Mr. High-and-Mighty considering me special enough to say a few words to?" The tom blinked, shifting on his paws.

"Is that…?" he meowed quietly, before stopping himself. Taking back the usual indifferent look, he snorted. "Hardly. There's not exactly much else to do out here, and the moon is going slowly." The calico warrior blinked, then turned back to watching the forest. Another gust of wind blew through, and she closed her eyes for a moment, then let out a resigned sigh.

"I suppose I could put up with some talking…anything to take my mind off this blasted cold." Kestrelstep managed to hide a grin, pretending to struggle for a topic.

"Any recent gossip?" he purred mischievously. "The toms never seem to be informed of anything, but I know _you're_ always in the center of things." Breezetail looked at the tom, eyes narrowed in confusion.

"You want gossip? Isn't that for elders?" she said with a snort. As the wind announced itself again, she gave a little sigh before resigning with a shrug. "Well…Snowfoot seems to be spending a bit more time with Hollyclaw than is considered normal…I always thought she had weird taste. Thornpaw and Flurrypaw seem to be official, but they're still apprentices, and it'll probably wear off after a few moons." She raised her eyes to the moon for a moment, going through a mental list of cats. "Not many new couples recently, to tell the truth. Most of them are already…" The she-cat cut off as she lowered her gaze and found it locked with the bright green eyes of the tom in front of her. He gave a small smirk as she quickly jerked her head to break eye contact, taking her unblinking stare back to the forest. Looking out as well, Kestrelstep's tail twitched, causing a small leaf to dislodge itself, quickly bouncing off in the breeze.

"And what about you?"

The question took a moment to sink in. When it did, Breezetail whipped her head around to stare at the tom for a moment before quickly regaining her composure.

"What about me?"

"Oh, you know," Kestrelstep purred, not bothering to hide his smirk. Oh, it was fun to make her squirm… "Any cat look good to you?" The calico she-cat's ears went back, and she turned pointedly away from him, attempting to hide the fact that her pelt was now burning with embarrassment.

"You kidding?" she finally said, managing her usual scorn. "All the decent ones are taken, and the rest are just…well, they're not for me." With her look of superiority firmly in place, she gave the tom a withering look before turning her gaze away again.

Silence seemed to blanket the forest again, the only noises being produced by the wind and a few occasional owls off in the distance. Kestrelstep turned his head every now and then, scanning the edges of the camp as well as the depths of the shadows. Across the path, Breezetail sat as still as if she were made from stone, though her eyes flickered occasionally from side to side.

_What kind of question was that?_ she demanded silently. _Since when did he care about my preferences? _She sighed, not noticing as the tom glanced over to her, his expression unreadable. _I swear, toms just aren't worth the trouble…I don't know what Snowfoot's getting into._ They weren't all so obnoxious though, a small voice reminded her. Maybe it was just _this_ tom that was unbearable. _He's not all bad,_ she told herself, though not exactly sure why. _I mean, he's a loyal warrior at least…maybe not the most charming one, but he doesn't annoy cats all time._ The she-cat shot a glance over at her companion, startled as she caught his eyes once more, he having done the exact same thing. They both quickly looked away, Breezetail's tail flicking from side to side. Peering a bit more cautiously over, she managed to appear to be watching a small bird's progress while her light blue eyes looked the tom over. The moon, now nearly at it's highest point, cast dark shadows, causing his black pelt to blend in with the ground itself. Only the lighter, ginger patches stuck out. His fur was ruffled every which way, and Breezetail was sure hers wasn't much better off. Still…he was one of the better looking toms in the Clan. It was just the attitude that kept him free of admirers.

"Look…" The sudden word startled the she-cat slightly, and she jumped, her head whipping around to face the speaker. Kestrelstep was now staring pointedly at a tree, his ears back slightly. "That…well, that wasn't exactly the best question to ask," the tom meowed. "It's your business, and not my business to pry. I don't…" He looked over to her, which proved to be a mistake; any words that were forming came out as a small breath as light blue eyes locked with those of a bright green. It took longer this time to break the gaze, and Breezetail took to staring at her paws for a while, as if trying to find her answers in the small gorges that her extended claws dug out.

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The moon continued to rise in the black sky. The two cats sat in silence, occasionally sneaking a quick glance at the other. After a while, the she-cat's yawns became more frequent, and she crouched, not exactly lying down, but letting her paws take a break. For a moment, her eyes slid closed, and it took effort to pry them open again. _Night watch is always the worst…_she grumbled inwardly. She didn't envy the next watch, though, who took over at moon-high. Another long blink claimed her eyes, and she was tempted to allow herself to doze for a bit when light pawsteps jerked her eyes back open again, and she looked around quickly.

"Relax, mousebrain, it's just me." Kestrelstep was suddenly beside her, crouching in the well-worn path. "I don't reckon Shortstar will be happy if one of his warriors freezes into a block of ice out here." Making himself comfortable, he glanced over very quickly, as if asking permission, then settled down, his dark fur barely touching her dappled coat. He was wary, she realized quickly. The tom's movements were a bit jerky, and his tail flicked in the sand, as if he were expecting to lose an ear at any moment. Breezetail allowed herself a chuckle, getting a bit more comfortable in the scattered leaves. Kestrelstep's fur didn't give a whole lot of warmth, to tell the truth, but even so, she felt her pelt grow hot again. She glanced over to the dark warrior, following his gaze to the moon overhead.

"Nearly time to switch guards," she said softly, curling her tail around her. Why did she feel disappointed? Her eyes, almost against her will, once again turned to the warrior next to her…and there was that blasted eye contact again. It seemed different this time, though…something shone in the tom's eyes that she hadn't seen before, sending a small shiver up her spine. Quickly, she pretended it was the cold, and shifted slightly closer to him. With a slight sigh, Breezetail lay her head on her paws, one cheek resting against his shoulder. It would be easy to stay out here…the moon-high guard never woke up themselves, and were only roused when the previous guard came in. If it weren't for all these battles…At the thought of the battles, the she-cat's brain seemed to click back into the present. Images of her apprentice returning from a patrol covered in claw marks caused Breezetail to give a small sigh, reluctantly pulling away from the other warrior. "It's moon-high," she mewed quietly, not in any hurry to move. "We should go wake Stormflight…" Kestrelstep seemed to shake himself from his inward thoughts, turning to look at the calico cat, surprised by the warmth he saw in her eyes.

"Lucky him," he purred, pushing himself to his paws. "A few more minutes and I'd have been a pretty lousy guard…that ground can be pretty comfortable." Breezetail smiled, standing as well, with another glance up at the moon. Tentatively, she touched her tail to his, then relaxed, her smile growing as he immediately twined it around hers.

"That moon," she said with a purr, turning back towards the entrance of the camp. "It can do some strange things." With a chuckle, Kestrelstep fell in beside her, his black and ginger fur brushing against her calico.

"That it can…"


End file.
